When was the Minoan eruption of Thera?

The Minoan eruption of the Thera (Santorini) volcano provides an archaeological key marker for the Bronze Age chronology of the Eastern Mediterranean civilizations. The exact date for this large eruption is still unknown. Based on published tree ring and ice core chronologies, we investigate the candidates for major volcano eruptions in the middle of the second millennium BC.

Ice core analysis provides indication for the volcanic nature of prominent events which resulted in climatic downturns and which are therefore visible in the tree ring chronologies. Our conclusion is that there are only two candidates for a "supervolcano" eruption in the time range -1675 to -1450. Only one of them has so far been scientifically considered as a candidate for the Thera eruption. However, recent investigations seem to indicate it to be less likely that this candidate is Thera. But there is one unexplored candidate left!

The evaluation of which of the two eruption candidates is the most probable, is backed up by a re-investigation of the so called "Ugarit Eclipse". We also suggest a new synchronization of tree ring and ice core time lines for the time range mentioned.